For those who follow midstate high school football, these are names we’ve all become familiar with over the last three months.
But prior to 2012, who knew?
Before the postseason party takes center stage, we wanted to take a minute to unveil our “Instant Hits” for this season. These players were like an instant quick meal; all you had to do was add water to get the final polished product.
We broke our list down into six groups, built a playing field and narrowed it down to six players per position. We tabbed one player at each of those positions, the best of these guys who were anything but household names.
Agree or disagree, these are our “Instant Hits.”
QUARTERBACKS
Ryan Martin, Chambersburg: This was an unsettled position when the season kicked off. Head coach Mark Saunders had a pair of lefties to choose from, and each picked up some playing time in the early stages. But as the Commonwealth Division season rolled around, Martin became the No. 1 option. In the last month, Martin has completed 50 of his 89 passes for 950 yards with 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions. That’s a spiffy NCAA QB rating of 177.64. Martin doesn’t blow you away with his arm strength, but he’s very accurate and is starting to scan the field. And he proved in the Harrisburg game he can hang in until the last possible second and still deliver an accurate ball.
The Talent Pool
Mike Boguski, Trinity
Kyle Cook, Harrisburg
Patrick Irwin, State College
Stephen Sedesse, Williams Valley
Michael Shuster, Camp Hill
WIDE RECEIVERS
Youssef Ajlane, Cedar Cliff: Once star tight end Adam Breneman went down for the season with an ACL injury over the summer, it became clear that quarterback Andrew Ford would have to spread the wealth among a pretty deep corps of receivers. Out of that opportunity comes Ajlane. Most of the Cedar Cliff receivers have similar numbers. Ajlane looks like he’s been playing at the varsity level for years, though. And we know he hasn’t. He has hauled in 32 balls from Ford, amassing 543 yards with five touchdowns and averaging 17.0 yards per catch. One of many solid wideouts we had to choose from.
The Talent Pool
Jordan Bowman, Central Dauphin
Tre Brown, Milton Hershey
Mitchell Cooper, Palmyra
Hunter Kotzmoyer, Big Spring
Sam Marshall, East Pennsboro
RUNNING BACKS
Robert Martin, Harrisburg: From the first scrimmage, Cougars coach Calvin Everett was very high on his contingent of running backs. Everett was a very good high school running back and has coached some good ones, so he knows. But who knew it would look like this? Martin has become an unstoppable monster with each passing week. And the other three are no slouches, either. In his last four games, Martin has rolled up 699 yards on only 45 carries with eight touchdowns. That’s a ridiculous 15.5 yards per carry. For the season, Martin has 796 yards and is still in the neighborhood of 14 yards per tote.
The Talent Pool
Shyheim Brown, Mechanicsburg
Kenton Heinbaugh, Lower Dauphin
Ty Kater, Shippensburg
Dalton Miller, Tri-Valley
Chase Shulda, East Pennsboro
LINEMEN
David Wuestner, Lower Dauphin: By now, you’ve heard of this gang nestled in Hummelstown, the same franchise that scurried for all of two victories in the past two seasons. Well, no club has made a bigger splash in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division this season, thanks mainly to a steam-driven offensive line with Wuestner perched in the middle. The 5-11, 215-pound center has helped the Falcons deliver more than 1,600 rushing yards, a 6-2 record and prime real estate inside the District 3-AAAA playoffs. The Falcons’ lack of a consistent pass game makes Wuestner’s contributions even more impressive.
The Talent Pool
Joe Adams, Harrisburg
Matt Brockman, Trinity
Josh Evans, Cumberland Valley
Nate Garland, Central Dauphin
Myles Turner, Bishop McDevitt
LINEBACKERS
Chris Britton, Harrisburg: We’re thinking coach Calvin Everett’s decision to plant Britton in the middle of his defense wasn’t too difficult. Still, the Cougars had no experience at the position following the loss of two senior standouts. Britton, a stacked 6-3 and 200 pounds, took care of that alongside versatile Rob Martin. From opening week, Britton has been a terror, using instinct and serious range to deter opposing run games. He’s been opportunistic as well, changing momentum with his ability to close on the ball. The next level is noticing, too; Britton’s best play is yet to come.
The Talent Pool
Christian Fetrow, Red Land
Que’Shawn Jenkins, Bishop McDevitt
Mike Kelly, Trinity
Tim Spinelli, Cumberland Valley
Codie Zimmerman, Central Dauphin
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Tyrone Gibson, Bishop McDevitt: Versatility can be a dangerous weapon. And that’s exactly what this sophomore adds to an already-bulging set of playmakers roaming the Rock Pile. The lightning-fast 5-9, 175-pound Gibson has weighed in as a running back, receiver and shares the team lead in interceptions with mates Joe Headen Jr., Darnell Holland and Connor Marsico. Marsico and Holland were staples in McD’s 2011 backfield, so Gibson was challenged to handle one of the all-important corner spots. The rookie hasn’t been perfect, but that pick-six to swing momentum against Susquehanna Twp. was a sign of things to come.
The Talent Pool
Jordan Banks, Susquehanna Twp.
Jordan Brown, Chambersburg
Nick Guida, East Pennsboro
Brandon Kuntz, Trinity
Phil Overton, Red Land
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